Heterogeneity of pathological prion protein accumulation in the brain of moose (Alces alces) from Norway, Sweden and Finland with chronic wasting disease

Abstract Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative, transmissible, and fatal disorders that affect several animal species. They are characterized by the conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into the pathological prion protein (PrPSc). In 2016, chronic wasting disease...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary Research
Main Authors: Diego Sola, Linh Tran, Jørn Våge, Knut Madslien, Tram T. Vuong, Sirkka Liisa Korpenfelt, Erik O. Ågren, Gustav Averhed, Maria Nöremark, Kaisa Sörén, Mats Isaksson, Cristina Acín, Juan José Badiola, Dolores Gavier-Widén, Sylvie L. Benestad
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: BMC 2023
Subjects:
CWD
moose
prion disease
chronic wasting disease
prions
transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
Veterinary medicine
SF600-1100
Norway
Alces alces
Rangifer tarandus
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-023-01208-3
https://doaj.org/article/4659b7b9261b4a82b8a4719dda278cd7
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Summary:Abstract Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative, transmissible, and fatal disorders that affect several animal species. They are characterized by the conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into the pathological prion protein (PrPSc). In 2016, chronic wasting disease (CWD) gained great importance at European level due to the first disease detection in a wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Norway. The subsequent intensive CWD surveillance launched in cervids resulted in the detection of CWD in moose (Alces alces), with 11 cases in Norway, 3 in Finland and 4 in Sweden. These moose cases differ considerably from CWD cases in North American and reindeer in Norway, as PrPSc was detectable in the brain but not in lymphoid tissues. These facts suggest the occurrence of a new type of CWD. Here, we show some immunohistochemical features that are clearly different from CWD cases in North American and Norwegian reindeer. Further, the different types of PrPSc deposits found among moose demonstrate strong variations between the cases, supporting the postulation that these cases could carry multiple strains of CWD.

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